der Herbsteffekt
by SephiChan
Summary: Is saving one life worth condeming another's? Some new adversaries arise to challenge Weiß, though not everything is what it seems.
1. Endlos

This is the first chapter of an ongoing project I started, literally, years ago. I've recently regained the motivation to go back to work on it. I know it's not 100 perfect, even the first chapter here, but I'm hoping to get feedback and improve it overall. It may seem a little disjointed at first, because I wrote the story in pieces that I later tried to patch together. Please bear with me.

The current title/chapter titles are working titles. I'll update when I feel I've decided on something concrete.

Reviews are GREATLY appreciated. Enjoy.

_Walked into our world and made  
__horrible sounds  
__I can still hear them today  
__Strangely they seem  
__Beautiful now.  
_—"Endlessly, She Said" - AFI

_

* * *

There he is._ The woman's eyes dashed to a shady spot in the empty office building. _No, wait. Is it him?_ This lone warrior had been forced out here to collect a head for her "employers". She hardly knew where to being looking for this man; the building was huge, and he could be anywhere. Trained or not, finding the target would be no simple task. The woman's eyes dashed to a shady spot in the empty office building. This lone warrior had been forced out here to collect a head for her "employers". She hardly knew where to being looking for this man; the building was huge, and he could be anywhere. Trained or not, finding the target would be no simple task. 

_There. Something definitely moved that time._ Her cerulean eyes caught a quick glimpse of golden-brown hair and dark shades as a figure hurried by. Certainly she wouldn't be seen from her hiding spot beneath an unoccupied desk. She kept her breathing as quiet as possible after she realized where he was going.

Agilely, as though flying, the man rushed up a flight of stairs in the corner of the room.

"Then up it is…" Somali crawled into an open space, and then glided up the stairs as quietly as the one before her. Peering over the rail of the second floor without being in her targets' sight, she saw a businessman with a strange tangled around his beck. Oddly enough, said wire seemed to be coming from something on the assassin's wrist. A second later, with a swift pull, a sickening snap resounded and the body hit the floor as the assassin reeled back in his weapon.

Once again, the silent killer sprinted to the stairs, and went up at least another flight.

_So _this_ is what they look like in action… Weiß. _Finding her own way to the roof using the fire escape ladders on the outside of the building, the first thing Somali saw was a lifeless body lying in the moonlight. A man she hadn't noticed before held silvery claws on his hands; claws which shone with blood.

This was unexpected, and she remained ducked in her shaded spot. There was only supposed to be one man here; Weiß had four members, but Balinese was the only target tonight. He'd been lured into a solo mission as a trap. But now, there was a second man. Hopefully, that would be all.

Deciding that their job was over, she stepped up. Materializing from the shadows, she slowly came into view. A crimson halter made of PVC stretched over her chest, and matching capri-length pants moved silkily with her legs. Over the guise was a long beige coat that hung open in front. The bottom hem of the jacket swayed around her ankles, which were covered by the tops of jet-black boots.

"Weiß." She looked up at them—a pair of young men with sickeningly bloodstained clothes and faces, both carrying an expression that showed his vigor and power.

"Balinese!" she cried, lunging at him while simultaneously pulling her daggers from either side of her waist. In a stunned silence, he stepped back, grabbed his wrist, and let wire fly. She'd nearly closed the gap between them, but his weapon caught her arms and torso with painful tautness. Somali had just stopped her forward charge when she was decked across the face by a figure to her right. Swinging wildly with her daggers in response, she caught nothing but air. Somali turned her head and faced Siberian, the assassin with the metal claws.

Irritated, she swung both daggers around and cut the bindings holding her there, and Balinese was forced to reel it back in for the time being. At the same time, Siberian brought his clawed fists at her, growling. She tangled her daggers in them. Somali overpowered his fists and threw him backwards. Spinning the blades around in preparation to stab the off-balance brunette, Somali had to stop immediately when her air was cut off. A sharp pain pulsed from her throat… the wire was now pulled tight around it. Turning herself slightly, she once again sliced the wire behind her with a dagger, letting what was around her neck loosen and fall to the ground.

Balinese's face went flat when he looked at his broken line. He reeled it back in with little enthusiasm. Perhaps he'd have to fight with his fists.

But for now, she and Siberian stared one another down. It was hard to see his face in the darkness, and the same must be true for hers. They had to be wondering…

"Who the hell are _you_!" Balinese demanded. As far as he knew, this young woman had nothing to do with their mission.

"I am the black cat that has come for you." Somali's words were quiet but blunt. This clearly revealed her position as an assassin as well.

Balinese adjusted his sunglasses, unnecessary in the moonlight. "So someone wants us dead."

"Who sent you?" Siberian in turn snarled, expecting an answer. Here, they stood to either side of her, and could easily overpower this woman, they were sure.

But before she could answer, an overhead helicopter would drown out any words that could possibly have been spoken. Seconds later, a rope ladder was dropped. She took hold of it, and Siberian looked ready to charge.

As the ladder rose, she watched the men with a smirk. At least she had put fear into them.

The brunette began to run across the rooftop in pursuit, but when he neared the other man, a hand on his shoulder halted him. "Ken, stop. She's not the target… We're done here."

The pair began to retreat into the darkness, and a nearly inaudible chuckle came from somewhere in the rooftop's shadows. There was a figure behind the stairwell; an observer who had seen it all.

"I'll find you, Weiß… just you wait."


	2. Leer

Second chapter! I've got content for one or two more already written, but it needs serious editing. For now, this is what I have to offer. Knowing me, I'll probably read this chapter in the morning, decide I hate it, and rewrite it all over again!

Reviews are GREATLY appreciated! Leave suggestions, comments, corrections, and any other feedback you'd like.

_We come to this place,  
falling through time;  
living a hollow life  
Always we're taking,  
waiting for signs;  
Hollow lives...  
_—"Hollow Life" - Korn

* * *

A quiet young woman walked solemnly down a sidewalk in bustling city of Tokyo. Her light footsteps on pavement were heard by no other, as the street and surrounding sidewalks were abandoned. Her toned face took in most of what was around her. She sighed, and stopped walking, her mind wandering. A reddish-brown leaf fluttered through the air, just having detached itself from a nearby tree. This woman touched it in mid-flight—it was just the color of her hair. She pulled a few soft strands over her shoulder and stroked them gently. No one would guess that this simple woman, calm and composed, was a killer; one forced to do her job by the rats of the city. No one would guess that this woman was Somali.

Oh, but what did life have to offer her after that day, weeks before? That day, when she lost her freedom… she had lost her family's freedom as well. And now, there was so much depending on her. It sickened this young woman, whose name had been stripped and replaced with codename "Somali". It made her inside hurt and her heart grow heavy with pain. But there was nothing she could do about it now. She had been pulled down to where the city's scum resided, her conscience beaten until it could no longer function, and her spirit… her spirit had been tattered until it was as weak as the trees that shed their leaves now; now, in her season.

Taking a few more steps, the solitary girl leaned herself against a strong maple tree. The shade was comforting, considering the day's heat. Even though it was only autumn, Tokyo could get amazingly warm. Her dull blue eyes sunk a little as she relaxed; they no longer contained the sparkle that youth had provided her. For now she was far past her childhood, and even more, she had been forced to throw away her innocence. Even though having to act upon every whim her tormentors had, she felt that this was something she had done to herself. She had barely a sense of right and wrong, of good and evil. She felt she was now as low as her captors were.

A light wind picked up, allowing a bit of sunlight to make its way through the maple's branches. Her life… it had become complex… the agony she had to go through was not only her own, but also her parents', her sister's, her brother's as well. _They_ were being held captive; _they_, who had done nothing to intrude upon their captors. It had been _she_, the lone wolf, who had acted. _She_, who now delivered them her rightful torment. They received pain that should've been meant for her alone.

Emotions swelled inside Somali, standing by herself. But she didn't let them cross her face or overpower her in any way. Instead, she stepped away from the maple and began to walk again. Now… now the ones that had aided and protected her all her life needed her to protect them. There was no one else in the world that could help Somali, and no one else who could help her family. Though their interaction was limited, they were there to lean on each other, there to say: "It'll be okay", and no one else. It was up to her, the eldest of her parents' children, to give back the care and protection she had been given for seventeen years of her life. For after those seventeen years, when she had decided she had grown enough, she had gone off to be alone and protect herself. But now, she had been handed much more to protect.

Shaking her head with dismay, she began to pick up pace in her steps. Somali hurried down the street until she heard the chattering voices of what must've been dozens of young women. Curious, she rounded the corner, hugging her light, black jacket closer to her sides. What she saw was a peculiar sight.

As metal doors slid up, a thundering noise echoed around the street from them, but the sound was still drowned out by the crowd of anxious girls. Somali shook her head. She didn't understand what was happening. Was there a J-pop group in town…?

A young brunette man walked out onto the sidewalk from the newly opened shop and set a wooden sign out on the concrete—"Kitty in the House". He smiled at the girls who had followed him and exchanged a few words with them before returning to the inside.

Somali just about burst into laughter. She could hardly contain her mad joy; she'd landed right where she needed to be… and she couldn't have been lead in better by spotlights! She lowered her head and shook it gently from side to side, snickering darkly. Her auburn hair drooped around the sides of her head. She looked up with her now sparkling eyes, just to notice some girls staring at her from the shop entrance. She must've looked quite odd standing there on the corner, especially in such a manner.

Raising her head, she brushed a few wisps of hair back behind her shoulders and began to approach the crowd. _They led me right in… 'Kitty in the House', their flower shop! …Weiß's flower shop…_


End file.
